The great debate: stretch-in vs power-stretcher for long hallways

I did a 40 foot hallway last week in a house outside Denver. I used a power stretcher and got it perfectly tight, no wrinkles at all. But my buddy Mike who works with me swears by the knee kicker for hallways, says power stretchers can pull the carpet off the tack strip if you aren't careful. He showed me a job he did 3 months ago where it happened, and the homeowner was furious. Which method do you guys trust more for narrow spaces like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray18921d ago

I read a forum post a few months back where a guy swore by the power stretcher for hallways, saying a knee kicker just doesn't get enough bite on the longer runs. But your buddy's right about the tack strip issue. I've seen it happen too, especially on older houses where the tack strip is nailed into old hardwood that's a little loose or the concrete has a hairline crack. I think a good middle ground is to use the power stretcher but set it to a medium tension, not cranked all the way down, and walk it slowly down the hallway. That way you get the stretch without yanking the carpet off the tack strip.

ben20621d ago

Agree with you on that medium tension trick. I've pulled carpet off tack strips before with a power stretcher cranked all the way down, and it's a mess to fix. Walking it slow down the hallway is the way to go too, gives you more control and you can feel when the carpet is about to slip. Saw a guy once try to rush a hallway stretch and he pulled the carpet clean off both sides, took him an hour to reset it. That middle ground you mention is solid advice for anyone tackling a hallway job.